Mundial - Sport Protótipos

24 HORAS DE DAYTONA - NICK CATSBURG

Nicky Catsburg and BMW Team RLL teammates Augusto Farfus, John Edwards and Jesse Krohn completed the gruelling opening race of the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship last weekend – the Rolex 24 At Daytona.

For Nicky and BMW Motorsport, the challenge of the 24-hour event was never one to be underestimated, especially given that the event marked the competitive debut of the all-new BMW M8.

Following some expected new car niggles in practice, Edwards took the first stint of the race before Nicky got behind the wheel of the #24 entry. The following day it was Edwards who took the chequered flag in seventh position in class, marking an impressive debut for new package.

“The most positive thing about the weekend was that the car ran almost flawlessly in terms of reliability,” Nicky said. “We had punctures, but we were not alone in that as others had the same tyre issues. The fact that the car ran the whole race without any issues is quite remarkable for a new car and gives me a lot of optimism for the future.

“It was good to be back with RLL BMW and it was nice to work with new teammates – I drove with a couple of other guys last year – everyone did a faultless job, so that was also very good.”

While Nicky was delighted with the relatively trouble-free running, he and the team were left disappointed in IMSA’s Balance of Performance (BoP) restrictions at Daytona.

"It was obviously not the result we wanted in terms of the finishing position," Nicky continued. "We knew beforehand it wasn’t going to be easy because of the BoP that we were given. BMW and IMSA will now continue productive and open talks and have agreed to find an appropriate BoP assessment for the upcoming events starting with Sebring.

“With the car already at this level, it personally gives me a lot of hope for the US events and the FIA World Endurance Championship super-season and I’m sure we’ll be able to develop it significantly over the coming months.”

The Rolex 24 At Daytona proved to be busy both on and off track for Nicky as he welcomed his new commercial partner Prosperity Investment Management to the circuit for the first time.

“I had my new sponsor Prosperity at Daytona too which was nice. It was great to meet with them and I’m looking forward to a good partnership going forward. I also had KTO – a long-time sponsor of mine – very visible on my suit and now I look forward to my next race in the States at Sebring – a completely different track and a very different challenge, so I’m very much looking forward to that!”